Escaping Darkness
by Forlorn Melody
Summary: Last installment of the Darkness Trilogy. Ryo has a dark past, and until now, a secret one. But one of his ghosts returns to wreak havoc upon the Digital world, and wants to force his hand. Ryuki, Jerato
1. The Incubation

Melody: MUHAHAH!!! And you though you had lost me forever, well guess what? You're all stuck with me!!. (Wow, I should really avoid Chinese food for breakfast.) Anywhoo, time for everyone's favorite event!

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Writer's Applause:

Thanks to Takari Freek, anon (is that your actual name?), and karika88 (let me know if you want to be a moderator or not, and I'll send you the invite code)

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Everyone's least favorite event:

Disclaimer: Forlorn Melody owns nothing but the Teen Titan's comic that she's currently raving about.

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Darkness Chronicles: Escaping Darkness: Chapter 1: The Incubation

_Real World Y: Asia: Shinjuku, Japan: Terrace Apartments: 3:11 P.M._

Sunlight streamed through a row of windows. The light fell on sheets and blankets, but could not penetrate the fabric. A large lump lay under the sheets, rising and falling in a slow but steady rhythm. Nothing could disturb the tranquility of that morning…except for the noise of the alarm clock. Loud raging music pumped from the alarm's speakers, startling the sleeping form on the bed. It shot up sitting, breathing hard. Rusty chocolate bangs stuck to his forehead with sweat. Ryo wiped it off as he pulled the sheets completely off his body.

Leaving the music on, Ryo pulled some pants on and glanced at the time. His eyes widened. How could he be late, today of all days? Ryo hurried to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Rika would kill him. As the water ran down his skin, Ryo's mind swarmed with ideas and excuses he could tell her. None of them seemed like they would work on his girlfriend. Ryo felt like an idiot. The one day he meant to wake up early that summer instead of sleep in, the one day he meant to actually use the alarm….

He dried off with a towel. Five minutes later Ryo stood completely dressed in front of the bathroom mirror. Ryo combed his hair purposefully, and realized his mistake. Instead of setting the alarm for AM, Ryo had set it for PM. _Brilliant, Ryo, just brilliant. _No doubt that he wouldn't live though nightfall. Hmm…would Rika stab him in the front, back, side or all three? At least Ryo would have an interesting demise, without _his_ help. The Legendary Tamer shivered, he shouldn't be thinking about that right now. Grabbing his jacket, Ryo left the apartment.

A short walk later and Ryo arrived at the nearly infamous towers of the Hypnos building. Despite the firm's interest and involvement in inter-dimensional affairs, few people knew about it. Hypnos liked things that way, and its CEO would do everything in his power to make sure things remained so. Most people would stare in awe of the towers if they had the time, but Ryo gave them little thought as he walked through the revolving doors. He had been there so many times recently he had begun to think of the building as a second home.

Soon enough Ryo's elevator arrived at the correct floor, the top floor, a little too soon for Ryo's tastes. As it chimed open, Ryo took a deep breath before stepping into the hallway. He had no trouble location the doors, as they happened to be the only doors in the entire hallway. A single word spelled itself out across the frosted glass double doors, Hypnos. Ryo spoke his name evenly to the lock, and the computerized voice replied "Admission Granted, Welcome Ryo Akiyama." Great, and now every one would know immediately of his presence.

The doors slipped open and Ryo attempted to enter the room quietly and unnoticed. So much for trying. He hadn't passed through the doorway when someone chimed his named, or should he say some_ones. "_Ryo! My man! How are you doin'?" Kazu called out as he ran over to his teen idol.

"What he said!" Kenta added as he followed his friend. Hmm….would Ryo give them some more autographs? His cousin still didn't believe him when Kenta mentioned knowing the Digimon King.

Ryo attempted to stammer out an answer when he met Rika's stare, or more correctly her _glare._ He hung his head ashamed, overhearing her huffing response. Right now he could expect nothing less from his girlfriend; thankfully she didn't plan on obliterating him yet. Even when Ryo heard her footsteps closing in on him, he didn't dare move. No need to delay his reckoning.

"What happened Ryo? Monodramon eat your alarm clock?" Rika asked, keeping her voice level.

Oh great, she used his real name. Ryo gulped out his answer quietly, not meeting her eyes. "Not exactly."

"How dare you Ryo Akiyama, how _dare_ you." She seethed.

Ryo flinched. Still early for an apology. "It won't happen again." He whispered, not meeting her eyes.

Rika didn't answer, but turned to her other friends. They looked back at her, fearing a tirade. "Well?" She snapped.

Henry's father coughed lightly, before gesturing to Shibumi to speak. He in turn sighed before continuing. Shibumi gave each of the Tamers a look of grave seriousness, and his gaze lingered on Jeri slightly longer than the others. Rika glared at Shibumi in exasperation as she noticed a hint of a smile in his eyes. If that Monster Maker gave away their surprise for Jeri, Rika would make him pay. Taking notice of Rika's glare, the light disappeared from Shibumi's eyes. Taking a deep breath, he spoke with his soft, intelligent voice. "We have discovered a disturbance in the Digital World. My colleagues and I tried to take care of it ourselves, but it looks like you'll have to go to the Digital World yourselves to solve the problem."

Takato saw the worry in Jerry's eyes, and held back a laugh. Boy, would she be surprised when they finally stepped down on Digifirma. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face. The Tamer's unofficial leader smiled at Jeri and some of the worry left her face as she met his eyes. She even managed a small smile, making Takato blush deep scarlet. Next thing he knew, someone's finger had poked his side. "Ah!" He shouted, jumping out of the way.

"Pay _attention_, Takato." Henry teased.

"Yeah, okay…sorry." The unofficial gogglehead of the Tamers muttered as he blushed a little deeper red before his skin finally stopped burning.

Ryo decided on another attempt at redemption. "So when do we leave?"

Shibumi turned to face his colleagues. "As soon as my team gets the gate ready."

"Come on man, it'll be only a few more minutes!" 'Hot Dog' hollered in reply.

"Ha! More like a couple seconds!" His Asian counterpart retorted.

The end result actually happened between the two guesses, with in 30 seconds of the second estimate. With a brilliant burst of light, a gate materialized at the center of all the supercomputers. Across the room the Tamers, even angry Rika, stared at it in amazement. For some reason digital forms always seemed more magical when they formed in the Real World. Yamaki clicked his lighter open and shut a couple more times before addressing the small crowd. He, like Shibumi, also adopted a serious look on his face, but Ryo couldn't help but notice the slight upturned corner of his lips.

"You will take this gate to arrive on Digiphirma. Once there, you will track down the disturbance and await further instructions." Yamaki directed.

Takato and the others nodded. "Let's go guys!" He couldn't help but smile, and by this point he didn't care if it ruined the surprise. As he entered the port, he glanced back at Jeri. She seemed really confused. Oh well, Jeri would figure it out soon enough.

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_Digital World Y: Digiphirma: 3:20 P.M._

They all landed, as before, with a loud painful _SMACK_! And, also as before, they returned to consciousness in small craters the size of a go-kart. Takato glanced over at his partner's crater, or at least he thought his digimon laid in there. "Guilmon?"

He saw two golden eyes staring down at him from a crimson face. "Takato?" Guilmon replied, tilting his head curiously.

"Waah!" Takato cried, not expecting Guilmon to sneak up on him like that.

Guilmon tilted his head innocently, and then ever so slowly he reached down with his red claw and….tapped Takato on the shoulder. "Tag, you're it!"

Takato laughed as he jumped out of the crater. He chased after the red dinosaur, without a care in the world. Laughing, Kazu and Kenta watched and argued over who would win. Henry smiled at them, knowing the winning never mattered in a game of tag. As those five seemed to enjoy themselves, the others in the group seemed strikingly aloof. Jeri stared at the boys wondering what the heck had happened to their mission. Rika and Ryo faced the other way, forgetting about the pretend mission all together. Their eyes traveled over the landscape, a place that seemed different than before. It looked scarred, torn, battered, and broken.

"Could it be the D-Reaper?" Rika asked with her voice barely above a whisper.

"Somehow I don't think so, Rika." Ryo answered, not wanting to utter what he really thought caused the disturbance. He could almost hear that hissing voice in his head. Why, after all these years, did that experience still haunt him?

"Are you okay?"

Ryo looked down to notice that Rika had been staring at him for a while. He coughed awkwardly. "I'm fine." Plastering a smile on his face, Ryo tried to ignore the growing knot in his stomach.

She laid a hand on his shoulder. Ryo stared at the unusual gesture. "You sure about that, Akiyama?"

Her unofficial/official boyfriend looked away. "I'm sure." He didn't sound like it.

Inwardly Rika fumed, but she refused to show it. Now wasn't the time to pick a fight with her Ryo. Jeri hated arguments. But still…Rika hated it when Ryo kept her in the dark. He always seemed so carefree and fun-loving, but Rika knew better. Ryo had a darker side, one that only a few people could see. Rika wondered if Cyberdramon existed as a living form of Ryo's secret thoughts and feelings. She shook her head. Hopefully he would tell her soon.

Jeri stood in the midst of all of them, dwelling between the organized chaos and the suspicious tranquility. Puppet in hand, she scanned each of their faces, trying to gauge what had happened to her friends. After a serious moment of thought, she concluded that they had all lost their sanity. With a firm look on her features, Jeri decided that she alone could bring them back to their senses. "What is going on!?" She grimaced, realizing, that in yelling, she had made her voice go even higher than usual. Stupid vocal chords.

Everyone froze, Takato in particular. He lumbered his way towards Jeri sheepishly, and stopped a little too far into her bubble. "Heh, sorry Jeri. Um….right. Guys we have an important mission to accomplish!" Takato pumped his fist into the air, trying to regain his composure.

His words were met with some yeas, some smiles, some nods, and some rolling of eyes. Rika did most of the rolling, as she folded her arms. "So, where to, Gogglehead?" She asked mockingly.

Takato pondered her question thoughtfully, tactfully ignoring her teasing. He glanced at his COM link, eyeing the location of their destination, in relation to their current location. Doing some quick conversions in his head, Takato squinted. Squinting his eyes liked he seen actors do in the movies, he pointed with determination. "That way!" The unofficial leader of the Tamers ordered with all seriousness that made him seem sarcastic, as he marched down the desert.

With a few quizzical glances to each other, the Tamers followed behind him. Two lagged a few stray feet behind, their minds focused on something besides Jeri's surprise. Rika kept her gaze on Ryo, watching him carefully. Meanwhile he kept his gaze on the distance, most likely pondering things he thought she couldn't understand. Rika's eyes narrowed. She didn't need him to protect her. Ryo shouldn't think that he had to bear his burdens alone. As if he heard her thoughts, Ryo turned to look at her with an apologetic look. His girlfriend glanced back, weaving her fingers through his. He smiled slightly, if only for an instant.

_You can't hide from me Ryo._

He jumped inwardly, hoping Rika didn't notice the tension running through his veins. Oh great, she did. Ryo closed his eyes briefly, as if that could convince the monster to leave him alone. Like that monster even existed anyway. They defeated him years ago, right? Squeezing her hand, Ryo attempted to cover for the sudden tight squeeze moments earlier. Shooting him a look of disbelief, Rika let go of his hand. Frowning, Ryo tried to ignore his heart sinking deeper within his chest. Then again, perhaps it was for the best, Ryo couldn't afford for Rika to get hurt because of him.

_Adorable really, attempting to protect others from yourself. _

Ryo shivered, trying to shake those kinds of thoughts from his mind. He had to be his usual carefree himself, if only for the others. Today hadn't been meant for him, but for Jeri. Today the Tamers worked to cheer her up. Today Ryo would force a smile upon his face, a smile that only Rika could see through. Well, hopefully only she saw through him. At least Ryo thought the others didn't see through him. Suddenly he felt really exposed. The vast open desert didn't help. Trying to focus on the landscape instead of his vulnerability, Ryo noticed something.

The Digital World had changed, and it hadn't changed for the better. Around the Tamers lay vast expanses of scared earth. Ryo looked around more carefully, but he didn't see any life. This desert had been abandoned. He must have been the only one to notice. His heart sank to his stomach as he recognized each one of the empty habitats his friends, and sometimes his foes, used to dwell in. It made him feel sick. Who could have caused this?

_Isn't it obvious, Akiyama?_

Another shiver went down his spine. His eyes stared blankly at the horizon, at the subconscious notion that if he stared hard enough, he might actually see what he knew was there. Before Ryo realized it, his shoe collided with something rather soft, sending him face first into the dirt. Ah, dirt, not just any dirt, highly density packed, cracked, head splitting dirt, it had been a while. If only Ryo didn't land on something else as well, or _someone else_ for that matter. Groaning, he met emerald green eyes, eyes caught between shock and awe.

A whine shot through the air. _"Not fair!! _How come he always lands on you?Everyone knows I'm the cooler guy…." Kazu trailed off, and Ryo didn't care to let his concentration center on the blabbering fan boy. Gah, Rika must have been rubbing off on him. Or had he always been this cynical? Swallowing, Ryo tried to center his thoughts on something besides paranoia.

Eventually they came to rest, and Ryo sat down with an unvoiced sigh. Rika joined him wordlessly. In a rare act of affection, she leaned on his shoulder. Numbly he leaned back, and wrapped his arm around her, staring at the horizon. How long could he keep his secret, and still keep her safe?

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Melody: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand, I think I'll end it there. At least the first chapter anyway, it took me forever to write this, mostly because no one (that I know of) has sent me ideas. Comments or ideas are still welcome, whether in the form of a review or an email.


	2. The Invitation

Melody: Wow….-yawns- It's been a while. Cool, I have a wide and diverse fan base. All..um…six of you. –coughs- Anywho, without any further delay…..

**Writers Applause:** Thanks to su-pa kawaii, karika88, takari freek, katy007, Shotgirl, and the ever mysterious anonymous reviewer(s)!

**Disclaimer:** Melody owns an iPod and a computer. Not much else, including Digimon. That's owned by rich corporate executives.

Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

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Darkness Chronicles: Escaping Darkness: Chapter 2: The Invitation

_Digital World Y: __Digiphirma__: Outskirts of Primary Village: 9:38 a.m._

They had walked well through the night, making sure not to stop, knowing that nighttime in the Digital World meant danger to strangers. Did they still count as strangers? In spite of their last trip to the Digital World, did the Digimon seem them as aliens? Heheh, aliens, Takato remembered his earlier days with a smile. He used to gaze at the stars, as if he would see a flying saucer if he looked long enough. Sometimes it worked, or at least, the staring worked his tired brain into believing it. Despite not being new to the Digital World anymore, Takato still beheld it with similar wonder. So much had changed!

The Digimon seemed more active. Even when the Tamers passed by, the creatures didn't run away! They didn't seem as friendly as Takato would have liked, he would have rather been able to touch some of them…or at least talk, but the Digimon seemed intent on staring at the Tamers as they came through. Henry on the other hand, viewed those stares a little more pessimistically. Rather than be afraid of them, the Digimon seemed suspicious…even a little resentful of their presence. Ryo noticed it most of all, he recognized some of them, but they seemed to ignore him, or even glare. He wondered what went wrong since they'd last seen each other. Did they blame him for the D-Reaper?

Swallowing he wondered…if they blamed him something worse. A cold sweat dripped down the back of his neck, and the shivers carried the feeling down his spine. Shadows seemed to enclose around him, sapping just enough of the color of the world. They slipped agonizingly closer, grabbing Ryo and holding him in place. His lips parted slightly, as Ryo took deeper breaths to calm himself. The shadows vanished. As pathetic as a kid having nightmares, really. That monster couldn't come out of the closet anymore; he and Ken had made sure of that. Then why did Ryo hear knocking on the door?

When he returned to what seemed like reality, Ryo blinked at what his eyes saw. A human-like village sat in his view. He blinked again in confusion….something about it didn't seem…right. The village had retained its medieval quality…but didn't seem to invite visitors any longer. Buildings that used to have light and airy colors painted on their walls now had ashen paint chipping away slowly. Egg shells littered the ground, while entire eggs had turned to stone. Something about it whispered deserted, forsaken, in a quiet forlorn, yet familiar voice. It took Ryo a while to recognize the place…and when he did, shock shattered his expression.

"Primary village…." He muttered softly.

Rika glanced at him. "What?"

Ryo swallowed. "You know…where Digimon are…." He felt his hands shaking.

"Reborn! Like on the television show?" Kazu chimed in.

"Hey, I was going to say that." Kenta whined.

The Legendary Tamer looked sick. Henry glanced at Ryo with concern. "You okay, Ryo?" He asked putting his hand on the Tamer's shoulder. Ryo shivered a little, feeling lost to the world. Leaning down to touch one of the charred eggs, he shook his head. That monster had found him again. If Millenniummon wanted him so bad, why did he insist on taking his time to attack everything he cared for? Oh, right…Ryo had answered his own question, monsters tended to be illogically cruel like that. A more nagging question ate at his mind, but Ryo did his best to push it away. If he snapped right now, Millenniummon would get exactly what he wanted from him.

Silence strangled the troupe. Each of them hid themselves in his or her thoughts. Some felt confused, others concerned, and some both. Finally, Takato asked the question weighing down everyone's minds. "What happened to Primary Village?" His voice had that apologetic tone to it.

"They were attacked." Ryo replied simply.

"By who?" Guilmon asked, genuinely confused.

Ryo sighed. "I…I'm not sure."

_Lying to your friends, Ryo? __How courageous of you. _

The Legendary Tamer shivered, trying to make the voice leave him alone. He would do anything to drown it out. As it turned out, he didn't have to. "Hey guys! I found something!" Kazu exclaimed.

"It's a note!" His partner Guardromon added, leaning over his shoulder to find out what it said.

The Tamers crowded around the two, eyeing the note conspicuously. On it laid three lines, neatly typed.

_Greetings and Salutations!_

_You're invited to the biggest even of the year:_

_**THE DIGI GAMES!**_

_Hope you're packed and ready to go,_

_The Management_

The cardstock invitation disintegrated moments later. As the Tamers stared in awe, Kazu shook his hands. "Ew…what is this stuff?" The dusty confetti slipped into the lonely breeze and wafted away.

Henry's eyebrow quirked upward as he watched the dust sift over the canyon. "What do they mean by 'packed and ready' to go?"

Terriermon opened his mouth to say something witty, but didn't get the chance. Something else demanded his companions' immediate attention. Takato's eyes widened like saucers…"Uh…guys?"

"What?" Rika asked….then her eyes widened too as he followed his gaze. "….oh.." The beam of light had swallowed her whole, and her friends soon followed.

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_Digital World Y: __Digiphirma__: Near Tornado Valley_

They rematerialized as a massive human dog-pile, limbs spewing out in every direction. Groans come from nearly every Tamer and their partners, excluding Kenta and Terriermon, whose access to lovely oxygen was cut off by the enormous pressure of their teammates. Second by excruciating second, the Tamers and the Digimon untangled themselves from each other, and the two victims took in high-pitched gasps of glorious air. At the tale-end of their unanimous breathing, Takato asked. "Where are we?"

Jeri shrugged as she propped herself up on her arms. They ached a little bit, not being the best things for her to land on. She nearly gave a cheerful guess, but found herself interrupted. A voice boomed from the ceiling, startling the room's inhabitants. "WELCOME TO DIGI-COLISEUM!!"

On cue, the ceiling split in half and the halves moved apart like the glass on a car's moon-roof. The floor beneath them rose, lifting them up into the unveiled sky. Each of them blinked at the stadium surrounding them, its seats completely devoid of spectators. A lonely box nestled on the rim of the stadium loomed over one end. To the Tamers it seemed that they stood alone, save for the desert sand carried past them by the wind.

Two figures shadowed by the ceiling of the box gazed down at the group. Their silhouetted arms folded behind their backs. One turned to the other, dimmed sunlight revealing his less than human face.

"They'll do nicely, won't they?" He asked in a cool, dripping voice.

The other figure turned as well, though her head still facing the small crowd in the center of the stadium. Her features nearly matched his except for their slight curves. "Yes…yes they will." She replied.

"Shall we?" Her counterpart asked, holding up a joystick.

She grabbed the joystick, with a smirk. "We shall." Her hand jerked the joystick in countless directions.

Before Guilmon could even utter his surprise, the ground swallowed him whole. "Not again…." Takato cried out as he mistakenly moved in the direction of the hole. Soon he fell through as well. His fellow Tamers and their partners followed into the earth, two by two. The world went black.

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Melody: Sorry about the wait, I've just felt uninspired. But I felt guilty having less than 3 pages to begin with, so I read through it all and expanded it and added the whole box scene in the past few days. Hope it was worth the wait. And please! Send me your ideas! 


	3. The Initiation

Melody: 'Ello. New chapter, and no…the Digidestined aren't going to appear…unless it's one of those weird AUish endings, you know what I mean? Weird…as soon as I realize I'm not using end punctuation a question mark appears….

Writers Applause: Thanks to-- anontakari freeksu-pa kawaiix-StarshineWeirdo-x mangagirl18TwilightArchangel *takes a deep breath* More thanks to those mentioned above that gave ideas, or honestly admitted you had none. Um…kudos?

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Darkness Chronicles: Escaping Darkness: Chapter 3: The Initiation

_Digital World Y: Digiphirma: Near Tornado Valley: Digi-Coliseum: 4:16 p.m._

He awoke with a groan; his sore body felt from the moment consciousness caught him unprepared. His eyes would've flashed if any light had reflected off of them, but the light had neglected the room. At least, he thought he lay in a room. One could never be too sure of that, especially in Digiworld. In all his time spent in that world, the one thing he could predict about it was that it was unpredictable. Stiffening instinctively, his angular yet floppy ears listened to the noise.

Breathing.

Swallowing, he opened his mouth. "Takato?" More swallowing. "Takato? You here?" His clawed feet moved forward a few steps, before they bumped into something, something low to the ground.

Groaning.

If the room hadn't been shrouded in pitch darkness, light would've flashed on wide eyes. "Takato!!" The Digimon cried out, his voice heightening in pitch. Quickly his reptilian arms scooped up his partner, and shook him repeatedly, his throat drying in trepidation.

"Guilmon?..........oof…don'tsqueezethathard." Takato replied, his voice exhausted from being tossed about the dimension.

As if cued from the stirring in the room itself, the wall flew straight into the ceiling. Light flooded the room, causing the goggled-Tamer and his partner to shield their virgin eyes.

They heard steps. "Welcome, I hope you're ready for your first training day!!" A voice greeted cheerfully.

"Training day!?" They exclaimed in perplexedly-horrified unison.

"Sure is! Now why don't you get off your lazy bums and come out and greet this beautiful day we have!!" The voice, definitely deep enough to be male but too cheery to be anything but overly feminine chided.

Takato swallowed. "Maybe this means it'll be easy." He muttered hopefully, a forced smile cracking on his face.

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_Digital World Y: Digiphirma: Near Tornado Valley: Digi-Coliseum: 4:39 p.m._

Ugh. What was _wrong _with this place? Jeri might've been right at home here, with all the smiling fluffy animals decorating every corner, but Rika _hated _it. Actually, scratch that, the training area reminded her of one of her mom's photo-shoots. One, it had enough cheer to last all the brown-nosing photographers at the studio a month. Two, they wouldn't let her leave; she'd already asked, lame-ohs. Third, they wouldn't let her see Ryo. Every time she brought him up, they said something about his partner being given a "time out." Rika would like to see them try.

Next to her, Renamon stood at attention, ready for whatever trick they decided to pull at them next. The fox's head glided back and forth, like a lioness sniffing the air. Despite her partner's exterior calm, Rika knew she felt uneasy, the tamer could _feel _it too. She had only felt that scared three times before in her life. Once, the day her father didn't return. Second, the time D-Reaper threatened to eat her whole and delete her soul. Third, when a psychopath from another dimension tried to make her love him. Rika swallowed deeply.

An eerily cheerful tune finally caught her ears, and the red-head noticed its crescendo. She turned her head every which way, her tension growing. Then Rika saw the screens. They encased the whole rim of the stadium, looming over the seats. Random childhood images flashed on the screens, racing from one to another, in a sequence, like a merry-go-round gone mad. As soon as Rika began to feel dizzy, the images stopped with an abrupt jerk. The smiling teddy bear directly in her view exploded headfirst. Next the undamaged screen displayed the first human face Rika had seen all day.

Evenly pursed like a professional poker face, the lips parted. "Ready for your next lesson, I assume?" The voice asked pleasantly, which Rika recognized as belonging to a female, but too deep and masculine, like a chain-smoking television news anchor.

The redhead muttered some choice replies under her breath.

The smirk widened, showing a rather sparkly tooth. "Alright, T minus 10…

9….

8….

7…..

6…..

5…..

4…..

3….

2….

1………………."

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_Digital World Y: Digiphirma: Near Tornado Valley: Digi-Coliseum: 4:56 p.m._

The room sat in silence, save for a low guttural growl. It sat in darkness as well, making one of its occupants very uneasy. He tried to focus on his breathing in attempt to ignore the second set of lungs that seemed to be breathing with him. _It's all in your head, it's all in your head. _Try as he might, Ryo could only dampen the noise of his "guest" by rustling his feet. Sighing, he complained out loud about the darkness.

"I could always make a hole in the roof." Cyberdramon hissed.

Ryo nearly jumped. He had always hated the sound of his partner's voice in his digievolved form. Then again, it hadn't always been that bad. Back before….Ryo swallowed. Well, at least the extra breathing _was _in his head. "How long have we been in here?" He asked. A growl came in reply. Hm…Cyberdramon probably meant _too _long, which meant they had to break free soon. His partner couldn't be cooped up for long. Taking the initiative, Ryo felt around his containment, looking for an exit. Lightly his fingers touched one corner and then…

Suddenly Ryo's world flashed white. "ARGH!" Pain surged through his nerves, scrambling any thoughts that might've run through his mind just then.

"Ah, ah, ah! Can't do that Mr. Ryo, Sir." A voice chided, rather giddy and high pitched, like a host of a kiddy television. "You have better things to do!"

The Legendary Tamer took that as a cue to back away from the offending wall. He grimaced as his arm protested carrying _any _of his weight. Cyberdramon growled again. Ryo looked up finally as bright blue outside light poured into the room. _Great. _As expected, the floor tilted, sending both Ryo and his partner rolling outside; into the open, into the flames.

------

Rika heard a groaning noise, and her heart beat faster against her will. She found this place more disturbing the longer they kept her here, whoever they were. Beside her Renamon tensed, her fox eyes narrowing in preparation. The redhead focused on the comfort of her presence, her frown hiding her growing apprehension. Around her the temperature seemed to increase, but Rika found her arms shivering like crazy.

Rubbing one arm with her free hand, Rika focused on the opposite side of the area, where all the noise seemed to be coming from. Her eyes widened when she saw him, seemingly materializing out of nowhere. Swallowing, she glanced at Renamon.

"You sure you want to do this?" The fox asked, glancing at her tamer with curious but calm blue eyes.

Swallowing again, she replied. "I…I don't know…."

The day grew hotter, and Rika heard the piercing buzz accompanying the heat. Even her view of him seemed to waver….She clenched her fists, not moving from her spot. Rika didn't want to fight him, she couldn't. But as Cyberdramon and his partner raced toward them, it didn't seem as if she had a choice. Dragging her hand to her card pack, she grabbed a card, her sweaty fingers slipping on the smooth surface. Her hand didn't want to slide the card in her D-Power, but Rika managed to force it through.

"D-digi-MODIFY!" The card slipped faster than she would've liked. "SPEED BOOST ACTIVATE!"

Renamon grinned, invigorated by the energy. She blurred across the stadium, passed her opponent. Cyberdramon made the first move, and Rika's partner ducked it easily….too easily. Her eyes narrowed. The fox hesitated, glancing about in confusion, and then countered with her attack. Rika's eyes widened as she saw Renamon's paw pass right through Cyberdramon. Both that illusion and the one that faked Ryo vanished. A small gasp escaped Rika's lips.

And then the sky vanished beneath the rim of the stadium. Rika's legs flew out from underneath her, and she let out a cry as her back slammed against the ground. But she didn't stop. Against her will the ground tilted further downward, sending her sliding down into black emptiness. Her hands scrambled for a handhold, but found none. Before Rika could call for her partner, Renamon arrived, leaping down to scoop her in her arms, and bouncing off the tilt of the floor. Half of a relaxed sigh slipped from Rika's lips, followed by a scream. All over her pain stabbed her body and it only grew worse when she saw the sparks of an electric shock.

Before she fell to oblivion, Rika heard the groan slip from Renamon's lips as they dropped beneath the amphitheater.

* * *

_Digital World Y: Digiphirma: Near Tornado Valley: Digi-Coliseum: 5:12 p.m._

Ryo sat in the darkness, clutching his temples. His breath came out in stifled gasps, not quite rattling as badly as his limbs. That couldn't have just happened, if someone could only tell him it didn't happen. He swallowed down sour fluids that threatened to spew out of his mouth at any moment. Rubbing his arms, he tried to come to grips with what he had just witnessed. No…Ryo had done more than that…he had _experienced _it…taken part…

Pinching his eyes shut, he tried not to cry Ryo could felt the wet tears brimming around the edges of his eyelids. He would do anything to hear her speak again, to see her skin without the blood that now covered it. Rika's dying, sputtering cry railed against his ears over and over, and no matter what he tried, Ryo couldn't make her voice go away. Part of him didn't want it to, didn't want to hear her voice die like her body did. But her screams weren't the same as her sarcastic remarks, the same as her playful jibes. Ryo missed her terribly.

He wanted her to come back, to come back as she existed before the fight. Ryo recalled the fight with gritted teeth, with teeth gritted so tightly it shook the rest of his body. Sensing the same tension, Ryo forced his fist to relax into an outstretched hand. They had the best fighting abilities of any Tamer/Digimon team in existence, but the prize came with consequences. Before the consequences seemed bearable, Ryo had the comfort of knowing the defeated digimon's data would one day return once Cyberdramon finally met his end and also dispersed into a million bits of information. But Ryo knew, he knew with a tear down his cheek that Rika had been made with more than just information, with more than just data. She wouldn't be coming back.

Ryo drank the numb feeling in, the numb feeling that came with the realization of that statement. It enclosed him like a thick stifling wool blanket, and nearly strangled him, but the Legendary Tamer felt too exhausted to fight it. Something within him seemed to die, or at least sink away into dark oblivion for safe keeping. He would've been concerned about this, if that something hadn't been the very thing intended to warn him.

* * *

_Digital World Y: Digiphirma: Near Tornado Valley: Digi-Coliseum: 9:16 a.m. _

They stood motionless in the room, afraid to move. Though the room felt rather open, hardly any people or Digimon occupied it, the room seemed swallow them whole. He slid a look in her direction, swallowing. She didn't look very scared, but maybe when you faced the D-Reaper all by yourself…maybe scary had a different level to it. Jeri simply looked numb, blank, like a Greek statue as she stared out through the glass. Kenta almost wanted to touch her, hug her close, and tell her everything would be okay. Instead he pulled off his glasses and polished the lenses for the umpteenth time.

He'd let Takato do the hugging, with Jeri being the lead Tamer's unofficial girlfriend and all. Kenta wondered if Takato would be okay. Near as he could tell, each of them had been separated, except for him and Jeri. They probably didn't think her to be a threat without a Digimon, or at least, Kenta hoped they didn't. A little voice in his head told him that no one thought much of him or his partner MarineAngemon., but Kenta did his best to ignore it.

Speaking of threats…..the four-eyed Tamer jumped when a voice boomed from the television screens.

"Welcome one and all!"

He involuntarily swallowed a dry swallow as a cold shiver drizzled down his spine. Kenta took a step back, and he felt Jeri do the same. They heard the roar of the crowd beyond the window, and inwardly wondered where all the spectators came from. Hopefully they would just be watching a soccer game or something, but a sinister voice in Kenta's head told him otherwise. Squeezing Jeri's hand reassuringly, he swallowed deeply.

"Today for you, the fans, the spectators, the ticket buyers—we have a special treat!" The voice boomed again, making the floors beneath their feet pulse with the sound.

Jeri's sock puppet slipped from her hand, dropping to the floor with a soft "plimp." She didn't bend over to pick it up.

"In one corner….the cunning, faster than a speeding bullet and taller than a skyscraper….MegaGargomon!"

The crowd's roar rumbled louder, making the pictures hanging on the walls rattle like chimes on a train.

"In the other corner, we have the strong, the powerful Digimon that can lift house above his head and not break a sweat! Let me introduce Guardromon!"

The reaction of the spectators sent the pictures crashing to the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, Kenta saw small robot Digimon sweeping up the mess.

"Place your bets carefully folks, this'll be a close fight!"

Somehow, the sweat trickling down the back of Kenta's neck told him otherwise. Henry wouldn't actually….hurt Kazu would he?

* * *

Melody: No worries, not all is what it seems. I'm sooooo sorry about the late update. This semester has nearly killed me with all the workload, and I'm very happy that it's almost over. Check my profile regularly, and you might see a link to my latest project: my creative writing blog. Under the "what to do" section, you might also find some interesting pictures at my Deviant Art page, the RP I'm in…and more! Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas!

Edit: Sorry as well for the false update. changed the uploading format on me, tricking me into uploading a chapter before it was ready.


	4. The Ignition

Melody: Here we go again; hopefully this chapter doesn't take as long as the last

Thanks to the anonymous reviewer who's a Ryuki fan, and to anyone who's still reading this. Hopefully I haven't lost all of you already.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my computer (and the virus that causes Windows to hate me) and my college loans. Anyone want the last two?

* * *

_Digital World Y: Digiphirma: Near Tornado Valley: Digi-Coliseum: 9:19 a.m. _

From Kenta's vantage point, MegaGargomon clearly looked tense. He hoped that it meant Henry didn't want to fight, but he couldn't tell for sure. As for Kazu and Guardromon, the second looked foolishly hopeful and the first looked like he wanted to wet his pants. Kenta crossed his fingers, whispering soft encouragements, wishing Kazu could hear them. Doing so only reminded him of all the card games they used to play on that playground back in Shinjuku. Right now it seemed so far away, and that thought only made Kenta more homesick. The crowd's roar increased in volume and vehemence, and Kenta's fists shook so much they vibrated.

"Ladies and gentlemon, I present to you today's matchup." The speakers in the room announced just as enthusiastically.

On both ends of the stadium, screens taller than most buildings flashed rapidly. Kenta sort of covered his eyes, the bright lights hurting his eyes, and his glasses only made it worse. Every member of the crowd rose to their feet, and his heart forgot to beat for a second. How could anyone look forward to this? Even thinking about it made Kenta sweat more, scared out of his wits. He found his eyes drifting back to the robotic guards behind him. At least, he thought they were robots. Something about them hinted at artificial intelligence. If only Takato could be here now to rave about them; he always liked that sort of thing.

The crowd drummed their feet, like a slow-fast clap shaking the stadium like a rattlesnake's tail. Finally, the drumming had sped up so much that it sounded like one long drum-roll, and a horn blew. At first, nothing changed. Both friends-turned-opponents stared at each other, too tense to fight. Moments passed slower than a dying heart beat. Then the crowd booed, holding their thumbs down.

From the speakers, the announcer sounded stunned. "Shouldn't we give them a chance, folks?"

The crowd only booed louder, and half-eaten concessions flew through the air.

"As you wish."

A large groan emanated from beneath the stadium, and both Kenta and Jeri flinched. They would've fled from the room if given the chance, but since they had no escape, they leaned forward toward the windows, swallowing air as they watched the happenings below. One hole formed in the center of the stadium, and the sand on the floor poured into it like grains in an hourglass. MegaGargomon and Guardromon backed away slowly at first, then ran when they saw the vacuum increase in size. Once it grew large enough, Kenta could see glittering, swirling, fragments of light within the hole, and it reminded him of one thing: data. His eyes widened with the gaping hole, and his mouth dropped open as his friends dropped down into the vacuum, their bodies blurring into a million points of light, deleted.

The voice returned to the intercom, sounding disappointed. "Well, it looks like a draw, folks."

Clearly, the crowd didn't like the sound of this, and booing ensued from around the stadium. The robotic guards flinched slightly. Kenta glanced over at Jeri, wondering if anything he had just seen was real. If anything, the look on her face told him it was.

* * *

_Digital World Y: Digiphirma: Near Tornado Valley: Digi-Coliseum: Executive Dining Room: 10:55 a.m._

The windowless room had no light save the candles on the table. They gave illumination to countless fruits and vegetables, including ones he had never seen before. His nose caught the aroma of the broiled meat sizzling in the center of the table, surrounded by steaming baked breads and freshly-frosted cakes. As his mouth watered, Ryo realized he hadn't eaten since he left the Real World. Without thinking, Ryo reached for one of the fruits, and then hesitated.

"They're not poisoned, if that's what you're thinking." A voice stated factually, out of the blue.

Ryo swallowed, and quelled the shaking in his hands. His eyes drifted back up to the woman sitting calmly across the table from him. Her hands plucked the fruit and primly prodded the meat before she sliced it. The knife in her hand flashed, and the light passed briefly across her eyes. Then in that moment Ryo realized that he had never had a good look at her. Now, in a way he wished he hadn't. She had eyes like a stormy sea, and skin as pale as a corpse, and yet both had an eerie glow.

His head jerked back against the back of his chair. Now he realized what seemed so wrong about her. It wasn't her necessarily…just that she seemed out of place. "You're not human, are you." Ryo's rattling fingers finally managed to grasp his glass.

She smiled as she watched him nearly spill the cider all over himself. "You should really try to relax." The lady took a delicate sip from her own chalice, never taking her eyes off of him. After a moment, she added. "You're not on the menu."

He studied the meal in front of him, still wary. "If I'm not, then what is?" Ryo glanced up at her curious and skeptical.

"We have a better use for you." Her face didn't move, but her eyes flashed. When Ryo didn't reply, the announcer continued. "The _arena_." A hint of a smile tried to exist on her face, and it fell off.

He shifted in his seat, feeling the cushion like a vice. "What about it?" Part of him never wanted to look at her ever again, and still Ryo did, not able to help it.

She dropped her fork, clearly losing her patience. In the back of his mind, Ryo realized he finally saw her make a mistake. Clearly, she didn't seem human, but finally, Ryo found a human weakness in her. He had won. "_Games, _Legendary Tamer. I've heard you're quite good at them." Picking up her fork again, she continued her explanation. "You've beaten her before, and we're convinced you could do it again."

_Rika. _

"What makes you think I want to?" Maybe, in his earlier days Ryo would have ran across the table, splattered the food across the room and shoved the "lady's" face into the fruit punch, but he had developed some restraint since then.

Her eyes glittered again, and Ryo began to think she did so out of contentment, or something else. "Because you _can_."

Ryo narrowed his eyes, gripping his fingers into his fist beneath the table so she couldn't see it. "You're underestimating her." He meant it. Rika could do things to him, and to her enemies that no one else could, and Ryo had seen it happen live.

_Digital World Y: Digiphirma: Near Tornado Valley: Digi-Coliseum: Executive Lounge: 10:55 a.m._

"But wouldn't it be fun!" The lights hanging in the ceiling flashed in his eyes, and then Rika realized how hollow they were.

She groaned, kind of wishing they _hadn't _chained her hand to the counter. Otherwise she'd already be out of this stupid place. Her eyes roamed the room, looking for an escape somewhere amidst the glasses hanging from the ceiling. The place had an uncanny feel to it, like a kids playpen turned into a seedy bar. Rika groaned. "I already told you, I don't _want to_." Her finger tapped the glass impatiently as she sent him a heavy glare.

He leaned closer, his blonde hair hanging in _her _eyes. "Please? For me?"

Rika narrowed her eyes, reeling her fist back to punch him if he got _any _closer. "I don't even like you."

He seemed genuinely hurt, for a bit. Then he resumed his task, undaunted. "What if…we gave you a prize!" His face lit up with a smile at the last bit, clearly proud of his creativity.

"A prize?" Her eyes rolled to the ceiling, and then dropped to the wall on the far side of the room. "What is this, grade school?" She dropped her fist as she slumped in exasperation.

Drumming his fingers on the counter impatiently, he added, "What do you want? Hm?" He leaned forward, whispering in her ear. "Your friend Ryo to stay alive?"

The change in his voice caught her off-guard. "What?" Her voice rose barely above a whisper.

Dangit, he knew. The imp of a…well, maybe he wasn't human. Adults, as immature as they could be, just didn't mix well with the Digital World. He continued, and Rika couldn't seem to move away. "You fight him, and we'll let him live. If you don't…" Pressing a button, he pointed at a Digimon chained up in the corner. It writhed as electric current spilled across its body, screaming as it shattered into a billion pieces of data. "Understand?"

* * *

_Digital World Y: Digiphirma: Near Tornado Valley: Digi-Coliseum: 6:14 a.m._

The sun rose over the amphitheatre hearing nothing but a steady , for the organizers had filled it to the brim with spectators. To the flying Digimon above the stadium, the crowd within seemed like a bunch of swarming bugs. They knew better, though. Circling above, they gradually lowered their flight paths to catch a free view of the games, but not so low as to get caught. As a couple of them dared to perch on the towering stadium lights, the hum ceased to silence as music blared from the speakers below. Cheers erupted, pushing aside the silence in favor of mania.

"WELCOME ONE AND ALL!"

As one face appeared on each screen, one serious and coy, the other playful, the crowd only seemed to cheer louder. Two sets of eyes glanced at each other as if the cameras filmed them in the same room, and they did. The pairs of eyes focused forward, welcoming the crowd. One mouth opened, prim and sleek, as always. "We have a special treat for you today."

The other mouth opened, unable to hide its grin. "An unprecedented match between two arch rivals."

"We know you've waited long enough."

"And so we present…"

They shouted together. "The Legendary Tamer Ryo Akiyama and Digimon Queen herself, Rika Nonaka, in a fight to their finish!"

_Real World Y: Shinjuku, Japan: Hypnos HQ: 9:17 p.m._

"What's wrong?" Yamaki asked, searching the screens from behind his sunglasses. He had been drinking a delightful cup of coffee on a much needed break when his headset vibrated with a call. So much for a break.

"We've lost their signal." Riley glanced at him, concern lighting her purple eyes. The others couldn't see it though, because of her visors.

"All of theirs?" He flipped the lid on his lighter, trying to filter out the anxiety before it ignited in his mind.

"Yes sir."

"Then find it." He had to fight to keep from raising his voice. It rose anyway. "And don't call me back before you do."

* * *

Melody: Whew. I thought the end of this chapter would never come! I read my comments at the beginning of the chapter and thought I hadn't updated for nearly a year. Whew. Six months is a lot better, no? I definitely have the ending worked out in my head; it's just getting there that's a bit rocky. Any ideas for after the coliseum scene? Your input is appreciated.

Oh, and the virus is long gone. A word of advice, never rely on free anti-virus software, unless you have Linux or Ubuntu, (because by that point you're probably a hacker anyway.)


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